Tamiami Adventure

I have been thinking about Peacock Bass for a couple of years now. I finally made the decision to fish my way across US41 to Miami and find some. As I was doing some research about canals and lakes in Miami, Jimmy VanPelt and Will Mallett found out and joined up. We left very early Friday morning and stopped at some smaller canals along 41 just to explore.

The real fishing started on the big canal just after the reservation. We picked up some shiners at a bait place there and started fishing whatever structure we could find. Will hooked up with the first bass.

The guy at the bait shop had told us this canal was loaded with peacocks before the freeze two years ago. As we fished on, we knew there were no more left here. The largemouth population was very good however, and it wasn't long before I hooked into this fatty!

There were other things to catch as well. Will and I hooked up on more bass, gar, and the occasional bowfin.

We found a hotel for the night and also checked out bait stores nearby for the morning try at peacocks. We met several people and everyone was willing to share some info with us on where to find them. We decided on Antonio Maceo Park for the launch. It’s part of the airport lake area and we saw a few small bass there while looking around. The next morning we hit Kendall Bait and Tackle for shiners and we were on the water at sunrise. I caught a largemouth bass right off. Will hooked a small peacock bass and we were excited! There were more to come…

I started catching them as well. One after the other the bite was on! Jimmy started catching late, but was getting quality fish. As the day went on, they were getting bigger as well. I finally caught a pretty big one, and then decided to call it a day on a high note.

We still had to drive all the way back. The trip was definitely worth the effort! Tight lines!

About the Author: Bob Bramblet is an avid kayak tournament angler. He is the Captain of the Blue Line Fishing Team and President of the Southwest Florida Kayak Anglers Association. Bob is also the host of "Fish On", a new kayak fishing internet show. Check out Bob's team at www.Bluelinefishingteam.com, or talk to him in the forum section of www.swfkaa.com. Watch the "Fish On" show at www.fishonshow.com.

I am an avid tournament angler, competing in local, regional and national events. I am also the President of the Southwest Florida Kayak Angler’s Association. I write kayak fishing articles and reviews for several online resources and kayak fishing magazines. You can usually find me fishing my home waters of Estero Bay or Pine Island Sound, where I has been fishing for over 20 years. I am a member of the Florida Outdoor Writer's Association.

The thing that made this trip an adventure is the lack of planning! We had an idea of what we wanted to do, but kinda winged it. I used to fish the canals in the everglades and camp overnight, but never found peacocks. Our success was unexpected! That fat largemouth was just over 9 lbs and was the largest I have ever caught.